3-DIMENSIONAL STRUCT AND FUNCT OF SYNAPSES

描述(摘自申请摘要)：本项目针对 理解突触在发育和发育过程中的结构和功能 成熟的大脑，通过定量和三维分析 突触前、突触后和突触后的结构、连通性和可塑性 神经胶质成分。这样的知识有助于理解 智力低下的突触异常。信息学的目标是 为了改进定量分析的方法和可用性 在超微结构水平上的解剖数据：1.发展一种 可通过互联网访问的突触和突触周围解剖信息库 将作为连接分子和神经元的社区资源 分析的层次。2.为公共领域开发软件，即 可接入互联网并可由第三方扩展以支持和便利 数据库的输入和输出。3.提高速度和精确度 获取、对齐、校准、分割和3D重建 脑部连续电子显微镜切片。4.开发软件 不同突触前后定量比较的工具 连通性的几何形状和模式。 大脑研究的目标是测试突触结构如何调节 突触在发育和可塑性中的作用：1.考察 突触和突触周围的解剖结构在发育过程中如何变化 脑片在体外以及在长时程增强(LTP)和 长期抑郁(LTD)。2.研究突触和突触周围 大脑活动的不同水平(冬眠、 唤醒和清醒的活动)。3.考察数量变化 在脊髓和树突状钙离子中，由于偶联到 磷脂酰肌醇第二信使系统及其作用的确定 钙信号在不同类型的突触可塑性(LTP，LTD， 冬眠)使用数据库中的解剖模型。

DESCRIPTION (Taken from application abstract): This project is directed at understanding the structure and function of synapses in the developing and mature brain, by quantitative and three-dimensional analysis of the structure, connectivity, and plasticity of presynaptic, postsynaptic, and glial elements. Such knowledge subserves understanding of the role of synaptic abnormalities in mental retardation. The informatics objective is to improve the methods of quantitative analysis and availability of anatomical data at the ultrastructural level by: 1. Developing an internet-accessible repository of synaptic and perisynaptic anatomy that will serve as a community resource for connecting the molecular and neuron levels of analyses. 2. Developing software for the public-domain that is internet accessible and third-party extensible to support and facilitate input and output of the database. 3. Improving the speed and accuracy of acquisition, alignment, calibration, segmentation, and 3D reconstruction of serial electron microscope sections from brain. 4. Developing software tools for quantitative comparison of different pre- and postsynaptic geometries and patterns of connectivity. The brain research objective is to test how synaptic structures can regulate synaptic function during development and plasticity by: 1. Investigating how synaptic and perisynaptic anatomy, change during development, during maintenance of slices in vitro, and during long-term potentiation (LTP) and long-term depression (LTD). 2. Examining how synaptic and perisynaptic anatomy differs during different levels of brain activity (hibernation, arousal, and wakeful activity). 3. Investigating the quantitative changes in spine and dendritic calcium due to activation of receptors coupled to the phosphoinositide second messenger system and determining the role this calcium signal plays in different types of synaptic plasticity (LTP, LTD, hibernation) using anatomical models from the database.